Package opener



Nov. 24, 1953 A 2,659,967

PACKAGE OPENER Filed Sept. 4, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 -I\\\\\\ I 1 1 1 P16. 15 15 FIG. 2 3 I I 13 II I 2 34 I I 4 1 1 g 2 26 c 2 l! 5 34 g m 4 a"; 1 4 4 j 1e 3| 32 i 32 1' 3 4 IO 29 A I I) V/ 28 I 1 INVENTOR" WILLIAM J. CAHILL ATTORNEY W. J. CAHlLL PACKAGE OPENER Nov. 24, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 4, 1951 wan...

4 /////n/ /A l2 FIG. 3

FIG. 4

FIG. 6

"HI INVENTOR WlLL IAM J. CAH l LL 2 BY 74 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT Y OFFICE PACKAGE OPENER William J. Cahill, Minneapolis, Minn. Application september 4, 1951, Serial No. 244,948

Claims.

My invention relates to package-opening .devicesand, more particularly, to a novel device for opening a package of cigarettes. a

- -It is now the general practice to open a package of cigarettes by tearing one end portion thereof to a sufiicient extent to form an opening through which one of the end portions of cige arettes may be successively projected, where the same may be withdrawn from the package. This tearing of an opening in a cigarette package gives the same a ragged and unsightly appearance. Furthermore, the ragged opening interferes. with the removal of a cigarette from the package.

It isan object, of this invention to provide a novel device for cutting a package of cigarettes, between one of its ends and the adjacent ends of the cigarettes in the package, to form a flap that can be folded back to leave an openingin the package through which the cigarettes may be successively removed .from the package.

Another object is to provide a cabinet containing a cutter for forming an opening in a cigarette package and having means for guiding the package to the cutter.

A further object is to provide a guard to prevent a persons fingers from being out while feeding a package of cigarettes to the cutter.

A still further object is to provide adjustable means for supporting a package of cigarettes while the same is being fed to the cutter.

The device offers numerous surfaces which may be utilized as a base for advertising material when the same is set up for operation on a tobacco counter. Such advertising can either be in the form of printed material appearing on all of said surfaces, and in this connection it will be understood that such surfaces could be of a transparent or translucent material, whereby a light flashing from within would illuminate such advertising material. It is also obvious that the device is capable of being designed so that its top or upper surface member would support some form of advertising media to which motion would be imparted by any suitable means.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the drawings.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combination of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

2 Fig. l is a front elevational view of the cigarette package-opening device;

Fig. 2 is a view principally in central vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4, with some parts broken away;

' Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are views in horizontal section taken on the lines 3-3, 4-4, 5-5 and 66 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a package of cigarettes showing the cut made therein and also showing, by broken lines, the flap formed by the cut turned upwardly to form an opening in the package.

The numeral 8 indicates a relatively tall cab-- inet that is rectangular in cross-section and has a wide base 9. A horizontal partition ID in the cabinet 8 divides said cabinet into an upper or motor compartment l I and a lower or cutter compartment l2. The top I3 and the back I4 of the cabinet 8 are removably secured thereto by screws I 5 and I6, respectively. The base 9 is removably secured to the cabinet 8 by screws H.

The cabinet 8 has a front and two side passageways I8 that lead into the compartment l2 and each is normally closed by apair of doors I9 having spring hinges 20 that mount said door to swing inwardly by pressure applied thereto by a package of cigarettes on the outer sides thereof. Within the compartment I2, at the lower end of each passageway I8, is a base 2| for supporting a package of cigarettes in an upright position and having a depending rectangular tongue 22 slidable in a loop-like keeper 23 integral with the cabinet 8 for raising or lowering the base 2 I. Each tongue 22 rests on the upper end of a long upright adjusting screw 24 having threaded engagement with a lug 25 integral with the cabinet 8.

Within the compartment I l is an electric motor 26 having a base 21 secured to the back [4 with its armature shaft extending vertically. The bearing 28 on the lower end of the motor 26 extends through an opening 29 in the partition It], in which bearing the armature shaft 30 of said motor is journaled and extends into the compartment [2. A circular cutter 3| is secured to the armature shaft 30 in the compartment [2 above its lower end.

To open a cigarette package, the same is inserted edgewise through one of the passageways I 8, held on the respective base 2|, and fed by sliding on said base to the cutter 3| until stopped by the engagement of the package with the armature shaft 30. This will produce a cut 3:, as shown, in the package :1; and form a flap 2, as

3 illustrated in Fig. 7. The base 2| is adjusted so that the cut a: is made just under the folded upper end of the package when it is resting on the base 2| and just above the upper ends of the cigarettes in the package.

The base 2|, in addition to being adjustable for the cutter 3| to make a cut in a cigarette package under the upper end thereof without cutting the cigarettes, is also adjustable for packages containing short cigarettes or long ones.

To prevent the fingers of a person from being out while holding a package of cigarettes being opened by the cutter 3|, a shelf 32, acting as a" guard, extends completely around the cabinet 8 just above the passageway 18. In addition to the shelf 32, there is secured tothe cabinet 8 on each side of each passageway; [8, a wing 33 also acting as a guard. The wings 33 extend from the under side of the shelf 32 to the lower ends of the passageway I8. The outer edges of the wings 33 are tapered from the shelf 32' to the outer faces of the cabinet Eat the lower ends of the passageways t8. Obviously, the shelf 32 and the wings 33 afford an efiici'ent guard and the tapering of the wings 3 3iaffords clearance for the fingers. holding: the packages in the passageways In the back M of the cabinet '8 are louvers 34' for the circulation of air around the motor 26.

While there are herein disclosed but a limited number of embodiments of the structure, process and product of the invention herein presented, it is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations be imposed on the appended claims as are stated herein, or required by the prior art.

What I claim is:

1. A cabinet. an electric motor mounted inthe top portion of the cabinet with its armature shaft depending in the cabinet, a circular cutter on said shaft, a shelf extending into the cabinet below the cutter, an upright passageway in the cabinet leading to the shelf, and extending above the plane of the cutter and below the shelf, and means for raising or lowering the shelf relative to the cutter.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, further including a depending tongue fixed to the shelf, a keeper secured to the cabinet in which the tongue is free to slide endwise, and a vertically disposed screw on which the tongue rests, and a lug secured to the cabinet and with which the screw has threaded engagement.

3. The structure defined in claim 1, further including a pair of spring-closed doors normally closing the passageway and constructed and arranged to swing inwardly between the cutter and the shelf by pressure thereon by a package of cigarettes being fed to the cutter.

4. The structure defined in claim 1, further including a pair of outwardly projecting wings, one on each side of the passageway and extending from the top of said passageway downwardly, and a shelf supported on the upper ends of the wings.

5. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the armature shaft extends below the cutter t0 afford a? stop that limits the feeding movement of a package of cigarettes to the cutter.

WILLIAM J. CAI-ELL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,859,120 West et al. May 17, 1932' 1,943,956 Eisele Jan. 16, 1934 .Martin June 11, 1935 

